Newsletter I&I nieuws
Sep 5: Life and death of memory T cells: a perspective from theorethical biology
In his PhD thesis, Arpit Swain (UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University) provides insights into the mechanisms around the generation and maintenance of memory T cells. He presented not only instances where mathematical modelling plays a complementary role to confirm and cement our understanding of the experimental data, but also instances where modelling is strictly essential as it exposes the missing links in our intuition.
Read moreJul 6: Use of machine learning for early recognition of sepsis at the emergency department
Use of machine learning tools is an interesting and promising approach to develop diagnostic tools for the early recognition of sepsis. In addition, it may also be used for other aspects of data research, such as the identification of diagnostic predictors and the related importance. According to Titus de Hond (UMC Utrecht) in his PhD thesis, this approach may not only be applicable in the context of sepsis, but also for other syndromes that lack a reliable gold standard.
Read moreJun 28: Immune inhibitory receptors may be a therapeutic target for neutrophil-driven pathologies
The immune inhibitory receptor LAIR-1 (but not Allergin-1) directly inhibits airway-derived neutrophils and limits neutrophilic airway inflammation, suggesting that LAIR-1 has promise as a target for new drugs to treat neutrophil-driven diseases. These findings highlight the functional diversity of inhibitory receptors expressed on the same cell, concludes Ruben Geerdink from UMC Utrecht in his PhD thesis that he defended on June 28, 2023.
Read moreJun 28: Immune inhibitory receptors in blood and barrier tissues
Some inhibitory receptors, including SIRL-1, recognize patterns that indicate danger or safety on a (sub-)cellular level. In this way, inhibitory receptors can provide additional information to a cell about the context in which it is receiving other stimuli. The increasing understanding of inhibitor receptor biology may lead to improved therapeutic targeting of these receptors in diseases such as infection and cancer, concludes Helen von Richthofen (UMC Utrecht) in her PhD thesis.
Read morePreparing for the next pandemic
The lessons from the past have an impact on today's research, but also influence the direction of tomorrow. This message resonates with the theme of the Annual Scientific Meeting 2023 of the Netherlands Centre for One Health (NCOH) which took place at the Geertekerk in Utrecht: ‘Are we ready for the next pandemic?’ This year, the ASM was jointly organised by Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht and moderated by Lidwien Smit (UU) and Marc Bonten (UMC Utrecht).
Read moreJun 1: Respiratory viruses in infancy and rapid RSV diagnostics
RSV-associated acute respiratory tract infections cause substantial morbidity, leading to the hospitalization of one in every 56 healthy term-born infants in high-income countries. Vaccination of pregnant women or healthy term-born infants during their first winter season could have a favorable effects on the health-care burden caused by RSV infections. These were the main conclusions by Roy Zuurbier from UMC Utrecht who defended his PhD thesis on June 1 2023.
Read moreApr 13: New strategies and improved designs of anti-cancer cell therapy
Engineered T cells offer great promise as an anti-cancer treatment. However, efficacy and safety are still suboptimal and treatment is enherently expensive. Therefore, researchers at UMC Utrecht have engaged in several strategies to improve this type of cell therapy. Some of the results have now been presented in the PhD work of Eline van Diest who defended her thesis on April 13, 2023.
Read moreApr 11: Neonatal microbiota development affects respiratory infection risk later in life
A microbiome with a higher abundance of beneficial bacteria in the first weeks of life was more often found in infants who were born via vaginal delivery in contrast to caesarian section as well as in those who were breastfed as compared to those who were bottle-fed. This suggests that vaginal delivery and breastfeeding might be favorable for the early development of antibody responses and risk of respiratory infections, concluded Emma de Koff (UMC Utrecht and Spaarne Hospital) in her PhD thesis.
Read moreMar 31: No time to waste, patients are waiting
On behalf of the Utrecht TRial Innovation ALliance (U-TRIAL), Peter Hermans is the 'port d'entrée' at strategic program I&I for the private sector that intends to conduct clinical trials in collaboration with UMC Utrecht. Internally, he also works to strengthen the clinical trial climate by assisting UMC Utrecht's scientific leadership in the acquisition and operational execution of clinical trials.
Read moreMar 16: UMC Utrecht coordinates study on the use of AI in management of rheumatoid arthritis
Investigators at the department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology have received a large European grant to coordinate a study that investigates the use of computational models as a decision aid in management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis. The total budget of this 6-year study is Euro 6.1 M of which Euro 1.3 M has been allocated to UMC Utrecht. The study coordinator and principal investigator are Paco Welsing and Jaap van Laar respectively. The consortium partners are located in Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands. Other partners are Medical Data Works, a spin-off of University of Maastricht and a network of national patient organisations (EULAR-PARE).
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